How To Stay Patient

Are you a patient person? Do you ever lose patience with people because they are disappointing you or missing your expectations?

I get impatient sometimes. Why can't people do the simple thing I asked, quickly? Why do I have to wait in line? Why don't they understand what I just said?

Then I realize that the things I am most impatient about (miscommunication, incomplete service, broken expectations) are sometimes the very things that I am weakest at myself. My impatience comes from my own inner mistakes.

I seem to have the least patience with those parts of people that are most like my own.

That's sobering to consider and also liberating. It teaches me where my own areas for development appear. It helps me to breathe a bit and become somewhat more patient.

It's valuable feedback.

Here's how to stay patient: take impatience as early feedback on your own performance (not someone else's). Then work on that.

It also helps to breathe, and smile.

What makes you impatient?

-- Doug Smith

Front Range Leadership: High Performance Leadership Training

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